it says firms doing business in europe are those in the defense sector might delay hiring workers and that consumers may reduce spending. it's time to get a check on the markets now. let's take a look at the currency market. the dollar is trading above the mid 88 yen level. tokyo traders are seeing a halt in the yen's gain. this follows recent cautious remarks from cabinet ministers about a weak yen. the euro is higher against the yen. tokyo share prices are higher today. the nikkei average is at 106,872 106,872. market participants say the yen's pull back prompted investors to buy up export related issues. taking a look at other markets. south korea's kospi trading high up 1,979. in australia the benchmark is trading higher by three-fourths of a percent. the euro zone credit crisis is taking a heavy toll for passenger cars. car sales plunged to a 17 year low. new car saechles stood at 12 million units. it's the lowest since germany saw a decline of 3%. all u.s. european and japanese makers suffered declines. germany's volkswagen lost 1.6%. south korean makers were strong. kia motors